The Michigan-Indiana Border Could Soon Move (Just a Little)

Michigan's border dispute with Ohio is a pretty well-known spat known as the Toledo War (though it could barely be considered one) that resulted in Michigan getting the Upper Peninsula. In contrast, Ohio received the five-mile stretch of land containing Toledo. Since then, the borders between Michigan's neighboring states haven't changed much.

However, that could soon change with Senate Bill 595, which aims to "re-monument the Michigan-Indiana border" for the first time since the 1800s. It's a curious piece of legislation about something that is probably not on most people's radars, and probably won't change too much.

Michigan-Indiana Border Re-Evaluation

State Senator Jonathan Lindsey's plan for the border is not anything drastic. In fact, he estimates that the border could shift "less than 30 feet either way". But the last border survey took place in 1827, and this one would be more of a formality than anything else.

READ MORE: Are Armadillos Coming to Michigan?

When the survey was done back in 1827, markers were placed to designate where the border line was, but over the years, those markers "have been lost to time, creating a gray area as to where each state's border actually starts/ends.

In fact, this law was actually passed back in 2022 to help fund this survey, but Lindsey claims that it has proven challenging to find a surveying company able to complete the project. So, this updated bill gives the counties along the border the ability to survey their own borders instead.

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Again, it will most likely not lead to any changes, and if it does, those changes will be minor at best, but it's not often you hear that your state's borders could be changing in some way. You can read more about this re-monumentation here.